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During her meeting with veterans, Svetlana Medvedeva emphasised that Kronstadt played an important role in Leningrad’s heroic defence: throughout the entire 900-day blockade, the people of Kronstadt supported the Leningrad residents’ faith in victory, and Kronstadt’s sailors worked to break through the enemy blockade side by side with soldiers on the Leningrad front. Thirty-eight defenders of the Kronstadt fortress were decorated as Heroes of the Soviet Union. The First Lady noted that she is proud of her Kronstadt roots. Svetlana Medvedeva congratulated the veterans on behalf of the President of Russia.

The First Lady attended a concert celebrating the 65th anniversary of Victory and visited an exhibition The Mobile Art Academy, which also honours this anniversary. The exhibition displays works by children studying at art schools in Hero Cities, along with pieces by famous artists. All of the works are dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

The First Lady also visited Kronstadt’s Naval Cathedral, the restoration of which is managed by a charitable fund created at her initiative.

St Nicholas Naval Cathedral is considered to be the main church of the Russian navy, and its restoration should be completed by 2013, the 100th anniversary of its consecration. The cathedral was founded by decree of Tsar Nicholas II in 1903 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Russian navy and consecrated in 1913.